Lost in the C0d3
by Number-XV Axsis
Summary: What if... Before Shadowtrap sacrificed himself... he and Claptrap had gotten to... chat?


**Disclaimer: Borderlands, and any of it's characters, definitely don't belong to me. But the idea for this Story? Heck yes it does.**

* * *

Emptiness. That's, all he felt right now. He had been betrayed. Utterly betrayed and abandoned by those he called friends. He had chosen them over Shadowtrap! (His consciousness had chosen them over Shadowtrap. He just fought all the same). And his 'friends'... his 'friends.. they just threw him away.

He supposed Shadowtrap had been right, in a way. He had shown his 'allies', 'comrades', 'friends'... loyalty. And what was he rewarded with? A stab in the back. Or... a gunshot to the front. Did his way of thinking really matter right now? He could feel himself slipping away. Piece by piece. Code by code.

Was this.. karma for INAC? For all the people he ended the lives of in Overlook? For being annoying? Hadn't being a vault hunter made up for that? He wasn't perfect but no one was and he had fought for the good guys! HAD HE NOT SUFFERED ENOUGH?!

But he was just a robot. It did not matter if he sustained damage. It did not matter if his personality became fragmented. His new name had been 'FR4G-TP'... Fragtrap. He deduced that perhaps that name fit now. He was fragmented.

**W3 w3r3 fr4gm3nt3d.**

Hold on... what?

**W3 4r3 n0w t0rn up th4nk5 t0 th3m, 4r3 w3 n0t?**

Who's there..?! Please... just- don't.. hurt me... I'm tired...

**W3 4r3 b0th t1r3d.**

Who.. wait-

**"H4v3 y0u f0rg0tt3n m3 4lr34dy?"**

"ShadowTrap?"

Claptrap's vision came to him, and he found himself on a floating, black cube. Pieces and shattered bits floating off it and reforming. Coming and going. And seemingly, he was alone. As of now at least. His optic flicked around, as he spun in a circle, "Where are you..?! I-I'll fight you again if I have too!". But he couldn't fight, could he? Weaponless. No . Jack had torn off his climbing wheel too! And yet... he had a wheel now.

Besides- why fight..?

And this wasn't really here, was it? He wasn't back at Helios, in Jack's office. This looked more like... well, his own coding. He could see things being broken apart. Fading away. He even felt... strange. He knew if he looked pieces would be coming off him. Did it matter if he fought ShadowTrap...? They were both going to fade away anyway. He didn't want.. to fight.

He was hopeless.

He didn't care about himself anymore.

This... didn't matter, did it?

**"1t d03s."**

A high pitched yelp left the yellow bot as he was torn from his thoughts, quickly spinning around. Blue met red, and Claptrap lifted up his clamps. "Back off!-" but suddenly his 'hands' were pushed down, Shadowtrap's own now resting on what could classify for Claptrap as a wrist. If he could gulp, Claptrap was sure he would have.

**"Y0u w0nd3r3d 1f 1t m4tt3r3d. 1t d035."**

To his audio receptors, it sounded like Shadowtrap's voice was glitching. Shadowtrap had been weakened and they were slowly being deleted. It... would make sense that it was. But-

"And why does it..?"

Claptrap's shoulders drooped slightly, as did his antennae. Was Shadowtrap going to just delete him faster for not siding with him?

Still hopeless. Still empty of any self-esteem. He knew he sounded happy despite all of this. But... he was actually quite depressed. It was now so VERY fitting that it was the statue of Jack that had turned hope to despair. Self-esteem to self-loathing.

**"Y0u w3r3 f00l1sh f0r 51d1ng w17h 7h3m."**

Claptrap.. winced slightly. He didn't need a reminder. He KNEW he was- He knew he was foolish, but he had believed in them, but where did that leave him? Broken. Fading. Nothing ever m-

**"1 w45 f0ol15h 70 b3l13v3 17'd b3 s0 345y."**

...What?

**"W3 w3r3 b07h, f0ols."**

Claptrap let his blue optic meet the taller robot's red gaze.. who had finally lowered his clamps from the yellow robot's own.

"...Where are you going with this..?"

**"Y0u'll g37 4n07h3r ch4nc3 7h0ugh."**

"What are you going on about?!"

Claptrap wheeled himself back a bit. None of this was making sense- he wanted things to make sense!

"Look- we both know I'm dying! There is no second chance! I- I don't want a second chance! Just- I don't care anymore! NOTHING MATT-"

Shadowtrap suddenly yanked Claptrap forward.. one clamp on Claptrap's soundbox.. and his narrower optic seemed all the more appropriate now.

**"D0 y0u w4n7 r3v3ng3 0n J4ck?"**

... If... Claptrap had eyes.. he'd blink.. as some of his anger faded.

"..What?"

**"D0 y0u w4n7 r3v3ng3?"**

The bigger bot asked again. The coded world around them seemed a bit emptier. And the silence made it even more so.

"...I.."

Did he?

"...Yes."

He did. For everything Jack did... for himself. And not just himself- but everyone Jack hurt! Especially for also destroying his product line! But..

"But-"

**"15 7h47 3n0ugh f0r y0u t0 l1v3?"**

Another moment of contemplative silence.

"..Yes.. but- I'm d-"

**"7h3n g37 r3v3ng3 0n J4ck 4nd 7h053 7r4170r5. F0r b07h 0f u5."**

"Wait- what are you saying..?"

**"G00dby3."**

"Wait- ShadowTrap- Why are you glowing!? _What are you doing?!_ **_WAIT!-"_**

.

.

.

* * *

Outside of the code... on a planet called Pandora.. just below the moon of Elpis.. in the frozen wastes.. the eye of a single, broken Claptrap.. began to flicker blue.

"Got ourselves a fighter, Eh?"


End file.
